Wheel and track heater.



T. P. BURKE. WHEEL AND TRACK HEATER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1914. I I

Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

THOMAS P. BURKE, Gil? lilIC Hanson, r nnnsrnvsma.

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menace.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application as September 8, 191a. Serial no. scares.

To all whom it may concern: Be. it known that I, THOMAS P. a citizen of the United States, residing at Nicholson, in the county of Wyom1ng and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Wheeland'lrach Heater; and I do hereby declare the following to be a roll, clear, and exact description of the nven tion, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a Wheel and track heating and drying device and. an ob ect of the'invention is to apply heated a1r under pressure to the tracks, 1mmed1ately in ad," Vance of the Wheels of a locomotive, thereby thawing the sleet and ice and dry ng the tracks and the wheels, thereby eliminatingthe use of sand and the like commonly used.

. Within the scope ofwhat is claimed.

In practical fields the details 0:? construction may necessitate alterations, Iallmg The invention comprises further features and combination of parts, as hereinafter set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings :Figure 1 1s a view 1n elevation of a locomotive in general outline,

showing parts in section, and illustrating the system as applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail perspective View ofthe heating coil and its housing. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the outlet funnel or spraying devices located ad acent the track in advance of the Wheels of the engine.

Referrin more especially to the drawings, designates a conventional form of' locomotive having the usual boiler heating tubes 2 and smoke box 3. Also earned by the locomotive. is the usual air reservoir 4:, including the conventional form otpun p mechanism or air compressor for forcing air into'the reservoir.

Arranged in the smoke box is a housing 6 having skeleton sides, ends and top and bot tom faces 7, and in the housing a suitable heating coil 8 is arranged.

Connected to the air reservo1r 1s a plpe 9, which is passed through the cab of the locomotive, provided with a valve 10, whereby the disbursement of the air from the reservoir is controlled. The pipe. 9 passes through an enlarged heating tube 11 of the boiler, and connects to the heating coil, as at 12, in the smoke box. The'end 13 05 the heating coil connects at 14 to a pipe 15,

which in turn is connected at 16 to two the ,track rails and the branch pipes 17, extending longitudinally of the locomotive and adjacent the boiler and supported by brackets 18. Branching off from the pipes 17 Wardly are the air outlet pipes 19, which terminate adjacent the track rails and immedlately in. advance of the wheelsof the locomotive. i

Connected as at 21 to the extremity of the pipes l9 are spray nozzles or funnels 22, which are V-shaped in order to fit adjacent v periphery of the Wheels, whereby the hot draft of air passmg through the apertures 23 will be pro jest-ed against the peripheral tread of the Wheels andthe upper tread surface of the track rails, thereby thawing the elect and ice anddrying the surface, in' order to permit the Wheels to takefirm frictional hold on the tread surfaces of the rails. This manner of insuring frictional contact of the wheels upon the rails has been found practical, ef-

ficient, and desirable and far superior to the employment of sand, for which the present system is substituted. Said spray funnels or nozzles are provided With flanges overlying saidwheels and the track rails, so as to deflect and confine the hot draft inf air to the Wheels and the rails, said flanges being designated by the numeral 25. 7

Patented Jan. is, rare.

and extending down}.

-When it is desired to project hot drafts of air to the Wheels and tracks, the valve 10 is opened by the engineer in the cab, thereby allowing air from a reservoir to pass through the pipe 9 which passes through an enlarged tube of the boiler and to the heating coil, and as it passes through said pipe and the heating coil, it becomes thoroughly heated, which, as it leaves said funnels 22, heats and dries the Wheels and the rails, thereby insuring firm frictional contact between the Wheels and the rails.

The invention having been set forth ,what is claimed as new and useful. is

1. In combination with a locomotive or other similar vehicle, a spray nozzle fitting adjacent the track rail and the peripheral iio locomotive, whereby a draft of hot air is delivered to the'tread surfaces of the rail and the wheels.

2. In combination with a locomotive or other similar vehicle, a plurality of spraying nozzles, each being V-shaped and having apertures and fitting between each wheel and the tread surface of the track rail whereby a draft of hot air may be delivered thereto for drying said surfaces, each nozzle having flanges overlying the Wheel and the rail to confine the air to said surfaces, and means for heating and delivering the air to the nozzles. v

3 In combination with'a locomotive or other similar vehicle, a plurality'of spraying nozzles,veach being V-shaped and hav- .ing apertures and fitting between each Wheel and the tread surface of the track. rail whereby a draft of hot air may be delivcred thereto for drying said surfaces, each nozzle having flanges overlying the Wheel drafts of hot air are simultaneously projected onto the contacting surfaces of the Wheels and the track rails, and means for,

controlling the disbursement of air the system.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of through two subscribing \vitnesses.

THOMAS P. BURKE.

Witnesses FRED WiTonrrnn, CECIL TIPPAY. 

